Happy Monday! It's time for another interview. This week, I've had the pleasure of talking with Mr Tommy Donbavand. Tommy is an award winning children's author, most popular for his series 'Scream Street'. As well as being an author, he is also a scriptwriter and a creative writing tutor.
Hi, Tommy, welcome to writers spill. Thank you for joining me. Would you mind telling our readers a little bit about yourself, and how many books have you had published to date?
I’m 47, married with two sons and have been writing full time for almost nine years now. In that time, I’ve written 82 books (I finished the first draft of the latest this morning!) Of those, 71 have been published so far, with more out next year.
Out of those seventy-one books, what was the easiest and hardest to write?
Books in my Scream Street series are among the most enjoyable to write as I know the characters so well. I wrote a non-fiction book for teachers about incorporating drama into the classroom which was hard!
What was your day job before you became an author?
Possibly the only thing even more precarious - I was an actor. I spent eight years in the West End musical, Buddy - and many years writing for and appearing in regional children’s theatre.
Sounds like a good day job to me :) When did you decide to turn your talent for writing into a career?
Although I’d been writing for many years, I finally quit the day job on the day my younger son was born! I knew I had to go for it, or I never would. Thankfully, my wife has been behind me all the way.
Do you have a daily writing schedule?
I drop my kids off at school - then get to work. I always end up working into the evenings as well. That’s what happens when you’re self-employed and responsible for your own business
And do you write everyday?
Yes, seven days a week. Just as well I love my job! As well as books, I also write comic strips for Doctor Who Adventures magazine, and I write the adventures of The Bash Street Kids in The Beano each week.
If you write every day, I take it you're not one to wait for inspiration to come knocking?
You can’t wait - or you’d never get anything written. I make sure I know what to write when I sit down each day. I aim for between 1,500 and 3,000 words per day. When I’m facing a deadline, I double that to 6,000 words per day. It’s not something I can do every day, but it helps if time is tight.
What do you find is the easiest, and hardest thing about writing?
For me, keeping on top of the business side of things - invoicing, emails, etc. I visit around 60 schools a year to teach creative writing, and that side of the job takes up a lot of time. I’m also writer-in-residence at a local primary school and patron of reading at a secondary school.
Wow. That's a lot of schools! Keeps you busy, I bet. With all that going on, how long does it take you to finish the first draft of a manuscript?
It depends on the length - anywhere between a week and three months. I write a lot of shorter books for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic readers which take a lot of planning, but the first drafts are written quite quickly.
And do you think your writing has evolved creatively since your first manuscript?
My first children’s book was dreadful! It did, however, get me a meeting with an agent who asked if I had anything else in the pipeline. That new project became Scream Street.
Do you ever get writer's block?
I get days where the work is harder than others, but I try not to get blocked. That usually means I don’t know enough about the story or my characters. To beat writer's block - buy my ebook: 13 Steps To Beating Writer’s Block ;) http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00TWVA6TS
Are you currently working on any new material?
My Scream Street books are currently in production as a TV series, launching on CBBC this Autumn. At the moment, I’m writing a handful of TV tie-in novels - which are great fun, but odd at the same time. I’m novelising other writers’ stories about my characters!
That's fantastic :) Do you do any research before writing a new novel?
I immerse myself as much as possible in the topic I’m writing about. So, if I’m writing about zombies - I read zombie stories and watch zombie movies. I have a lot of nightmares.
I bet! Do you think writers are their own worst critiques?
You have to let your work be read. If you keep fussing over it and never let it out, you’ll keep it on your hard drive forever. Stories are meant to have readers, or they quickly go stale.
Who is your favourite author, or favourite book?
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and Danny, The Champion of the World by Roald Dahl.
Do you have any interests outside of writing?
I’m vaguely aware of three other people living in the house with me. They seem pleasant enough, and I occasionally agree to spend time with them. Oh, and I watch a LOT of Doctor Who.
Where do you see yourself in five years time?
Probably still driving my sons everywhere, and still writing.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Learn to type! I’ve written 82 books using two fingers, dammit!
What advice would you give to aspiring authors who think they are ready to submit their manuscript to an agent?
Do it. Don’t worry about rejection. Everyone gets rejected. I have two filing cabinets full of rejection letters, even from my current publisher. Never give up.
If you could give only one piece of advice to an aspiring author, what would it be?
Write as many stories as you can. You’ll get better with each one.
Now, could you spill me one of your most embarrassing moments?
I once broke my foot, live on stage in front of 1,500 people and had to carry on - in agony - until the end of the show.
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That was Tommy Donbavand, author, scriptwriter and creative writing tutor (And actor) A busy, busy man by the sounds of it! If you would like to learn more about Tommy, or contact him, he can be found through the links below!
To visit Tommy's website, click here.
For Twitter, it's @tommydonabvand
For Tommy's Facebook page, click here.